Display device having optical sensor

Abstract

Disclosed is a display device having a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of pixels connected with the plurality of gate lines and an optical sensor connected with a k-th gate line among the plurality of gate lines. A gate pulse applied to the k-th gate line includes a sensing gate pulse applied during a (k−i)-th horizontal period and a pixel driving gate pulse applied during a k-th horizontal period. The optical sensor connected with the k-th gate line outputs a sensing voltage in response to the sensing gate pulse. The pixel connected with the k-th gate line is applied with a data voltage in response to the pixel driving gate pulse.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A display device, comprising:
 a plurality of gate lines; 
 a plurality of pixels connected to respective ones of the plurality of gate lines; and 
 an optical sensor connected to a k-th gate line among the plurality of gate lines; 
 wherein a gate pulse sequence applied to the k-th gate line includes an optical sensing gate pulse applied during a (k−i)-th horizontal period and a pixel driving gate pulse synchronized with a data voltage applied during a k-th horizontal period, 
 wherein the optical sensor connected with the k-th gate line outputs a sensing voltage in response to the optical sensing gate pulse, and 
 wherein the pixel connected with the k-th gate line is applied with a data voltage in response to the pixel driving gate pulse that is modulated based on an output from the optical sensor. 
 
     
     
       2. The display device of  claim 1 , wherein the gate pulse applied to the k-th gate line is maintained as a turn-on voltage from the (k−i)th horizontal period to the k-th horizontal period. 
     
     
       3. The display device of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of gate lines is applied with a same gate pulse. 
     
     
       4. The display device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an optical sensor driver generating a sensing raw data based on the sensing voltage outputted from the optical sensor. 
 
     
     
       5. The display device of  claim 4 , wherein a sensing processing period in which the optical sensor driver generates the sensing raw data based on the sensing voltage outputted from the optical sensor is equal to or less than an interval between the sensing gate pulse and the pixel driving gate pulse. 
     
     
       6. The display device of  claim 5 , wherein the pixel connected with the k-th gate line is applied with a data voltage modulated based on the sensing raw data during the k-th horizontal period. 
     
     
       7. The display device of  claim 5 , wherein the optical sensor driver comprises:
 a first sampling switch turned on before the (k−i)th horizontal period to sample a reference voltage and output a first sampling voltage; 
 a second sampling switch turned on after the (k−i)th horizontal period to sample the sensing voltage and output a second sampling voltage; and 
 an analog-to-digital converter connected to the first and second sampling switches, and converting a differential voltage between the first sampling voltage and the second sampling voltage to the sensing raw data during the sensing processing period. 
 
     
     
       8. The display device of  claim 4 , wherein the optical sensor comprises:
 a sensor transistor converting light emitted from outside into an optical current; 
 a storage capacitor connected with the sensor transistor to store the optical current from the sensor transistor as the sensing voltage; and 
 a switch transistor turned on in response to the sensing gate pulse from the k-th gate line to supply the sensing voltage stored in the storage capacitor to the optical sensor driver. 
 
     
     
       9. A display device, comprising;
 a plurality of gate lines; and 
 a pixel and an optical sensor sharing a same gate line among the plurality of gate lines, 
 wherein, after the optical sensor outputs a sensing voltage generated based on ambient light present at the outside of the display device, the pixel sharing the gate line with the optical sensor is applied with a data voltage that is modulated based on the sensing voltage, 
 wherein a gate pulse applied to the gate line shared by the pixel and the optical sensor includes a sensing gate pulse for controlling the optical sensor to output the sensing voltage and a pixel driving gate pulse for driving the pixel, and 
 wherein the pixel driving gate pulse is output after the sensing gate pulse within one frame, and 
 wherein the gate pulse applied to the gate line shared by the pixel and the optical sensor is maintained as a turn-on voltage during an interval between the sensing gate pulse and the pixel driving gate pulse. 
 
     
     
       10. The display device of  claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of gate lines is applied with a same gate pulse.